


The Under Grounds

by MarvelousMenagerie (HiddenOne)



Series: The Under Grounds [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bucky is dead, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Not Really Character Death, Pre-Relationship, Steve is surprised, Tony is Magical, but he's not gone, but its along those lines but in one dimension, it's not actually interdimensional, kind of, magical coffee shop, only a touch of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26141857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenOne/pseuds/MarvelousMenagerie
Summary: Bucky was still figuring out how things worked at The Under Grounds coffee shop. It was a strange magic that ran the place, though at least it washed the dishes. Bucky liked working there, though, and he liked the strange magical owner, Tony. Though that didn't mean when Steve stepped through the door, Bucky wasn't going to try to shove him right back out.“Bucky, what - I saw you - you were dead!”“I am.” Bucky’s voice was tight, but there wasn’t time to explain. “I am, Steve, I promise you, and you need to go back -”But the entrance was closed.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: The Under Grounds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1898326
Comments: 22
Kudos: 213
Collections: Tony Stark Flash Bingo





	The Under Grounds

**Author's Note:**

> For the Tony Stark August Flash Bingo square 017 : Coffee Shop AU.
> 
> Thank you so much to Rise Up Ting Ting for helping brainstorm and troubleshoot this fic into existence - and also naming the thing! - and betheflame for beta'ing!

Bucky was wiping down a table when he saw movement at the entrance out of the corner of his eye. 

“That one’s yours,” Tony’s voice whispered in his ear. “I’ve got a conversation that needs having.”

It was a strange magic that Tony had, being able to talk to him like they were right next to each other because actually, Tony was across the room and striding over to a gaggle of teenagers. But then again, this entire coffee shop was the strangest place that Bucky had ever walked into, and he was only beginning to get used to it. 

There were multiple doors in the coffee shop, though there was only the one entrance and the rest were exits. There were always enough open tables that had just the right amount of chairs for each type of group that came in, no matter the number. Bucky had yet to see the same person twice, so there were no regulars, and the patrons never interacted with someone they didn’t come in the door with. Conversations didn’t carry around the shop, but seemed to stay isolated between each individual table - except that Tony seemed to hear everything. 

Bucky finished cleaning the table with one last wipe - whatever magic this place had, it didn’t clear the tables or make the coffee - and he headed to man the till. 

He didn’t envy Tony’s conversation. That whole table of teenagers were staring with existential dread into their mugs of hot chocolate casting occasional sorrowful glances at the lone empty chair that was at the table with them. Bucky’s heart already hurt for the story they’d have. 

“Hi, what can I -” Bucky spit out before he’d finished rounding the counter. He stopped, frozen, and he realized who was staring back at him. 

“Bucky?” Steve asked, face full of shock and hope.

“Steve,” Bucky answered numbly. “What are you -” Fear pierced Bucky’s daze. “Get out!” 

Bucky vaulted over the counter, and Steve’s blossoming happiness marred with confusion. Bucky shoved him back, making Steve stumble and almost fall, but soon enough they were back at the entrance.

“Bucky, what - I saw you - you were dead!” 

“I am.” Bucky’s voice was tight, but there wasn’t time to explain. “I am, Steve, I promise you, and you need to go back -”

“I just found you!”

“Please!” 

But the entrance was closed. Steve had already walked in, which meant he wasn’t allowed to walk back out that way. As hard as Bucky yanked the door, as much as he pleaded with the system, the door didn’t budge. 

Steve was officially stuck until he walked out one of the exits. 

“What door do you see?” Bucky asked, whirling on Steve with desperation. “Where are you supposed to go?”

Steve stared at Bucky with alarm.

Bucky grabbed Steve and shook him. “What door do you see?”

Steve pointed, and Bucky sagged in relief. 

“Everything alright here?” It wasn’t only Tony’s voice in his ear, but Tony himself who popped up by Bucky’s side. 

“It’s Steve,” Bucky explained, his voice dry. He had yet to let go of his hold on Steve. 

“Oh, it’s _Steve_! Well, Steve, I’m Tony and welcome to The Under Grounds,” Tony said brightly, holding a hand out for Steve to shake. 

Bucky tried not to give anything away on his face as he watched Steve do the polite thing and shake Tony’s hand. Steve showed only confusion, which didn’t change at Tony’s touch, though Tony’s eyes flashed gold for a moment. 

Tony smiled, and that’s when Bucky felt it was okay to sag in relief. 

“What the hell is going on?” Steve demanded loudly. 

But, because it was The Under Grounds, no one else turned to look or even acknowledged there was anyone else in the coffee shop. Bucky had also figured out by now that until Steve sat down, no one else would walk through the door. 

“Let’s explain over a cup of coffee,” Tony said genially as he coaxed Steve back to the counter with Bucky dragging himself along behind them. “Or tea, or water, or whatever is your beverage of choice.”

“I don’t,” Steve started hotly, but then his voice hitched and he finished strongly, “coffee would be fine.” Steve’s whole face seemed to frown, not just his mouth, but he grumbled out a quiet, “Please.”

“I’ll get it,” Bucky said, a bit sheepishly. “Sorry to interrupt your -” Bucky nodded his head back to that table of teenagers. 

“No problem,” Tony said breezily. “But yes, I should get back to them. Let you two catch up.”

Bucky nodded, and he appreciated the squeeze Tony gave his arm. Bucky watched Tony walk away for one self-indulgent moment, and then darted back around behind the counter. 

“So, coffee, huh? Guess you must’ve acquired the taste.” 

“Nah, not really.” Steve shook his head. “Don’t know why I said that. You don’t have to make me anything.”

Bucky smiled, gaze flicking from where he was pouring coffee into a mug. No one ever got drinks to-go so it was all reusable cutlery, but at least there was enough magic to wash the dishes as long as they made sure to put them in the bin by the end of the night. Just another one of the quirks of The Under Grounds Bucky had come to accept but was nowhere close to being able to fully explain. 

“Tony has that effect on people,” Bucky explained. He handed Steve the coffee, grabbed a tea for himself, and then headed over to the table that he had just finished wiping down. 

There were three chairs, and Bucky felt that was the right number for this conversation. 

“Don’t I need to pay?” Steve asked as he followed Bucky and took a seat. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Bucky summarized.

If Steve had needed to pay, he would’ve felt obligated at the counter. Most customers didn’t. It was something about their characters, Bucky thought, and whether they were capable of accepting gifts. Steve could be a stubborn ass who refused charity, sure, but since it was Bucky handing him the coffee that had probably tipped the scales in the right direction. Tony hadn’t yet told him if he was right in that guess, but Bucky was fairly confident that he’d managed to figure that part out, at least. 

Bucky liked it best when customers didn’t need to pay - then he didn’t have to match the currency to the right cash register, and he didn’t have to worry that they’d be missing their money later.

“Bucky,” Steve said, and there was wonder in his tone. “You fell and - I thought I’d never see you again. We had a funeral, but -” 

Bucky grabbed Steve’s hand and smiled. “Well, it certainly is a surprise to me too.”

Not that Bucky hadn’t both hoped and dreaded that Steve would one day walk through the doors, just as Bucky had. 

“You’re not dead,” Steve whispered in awe.

Bucky winced, but it was just like Steve to plow through right to the important bits. “Sort of.”

“You’re not,” Steve insisted, like saying it would make it so. He squeezed Bucky’s hand. “You’re here.”

Bucky shrugged and gestured around the shop. “And where is here?” He shook his head, dismissing Steve’s need to respond. “The Under Grounds is - it’s like a rest stop. You didn’t mean to walk in here, did you?”

Steve frowned. “No,” he said with suspicion. “What is this? Are you stuck here?”

“Sort of.” Bucky dragged his finger around the rim of his mug. “But if I leave, then I’m dead. Completely dead, no ‘sort of’ about it, so I’m happy to stay here.”

“With Tony.” Steve cast an eye around for Tony, his jaw clenched, but he turned back to Bucky when he didn’t find anyone.

Bucky could see Tony still talking with that group of teenagers, but Steve hadn’t been around in the coffee shop long enough to be able to see past the wards that kept the patrons contained. Either that, or Steve needed more contact with Tony to see past the magic. Bucky hadn’t figured out the whys and hows yet of what was slowly happening to him, and Tony was a big fan of ridiculous answers or deflecting questions entirely. 

Bucky was getting used to not understanding, and even realized that he enjoyed puzzling over all the questions. 

“Yeah, with Tony. Turns out dyin’ ain’t so bad, huh?” 

Steve rubbed his face. “I don’t understand.”

Bucky considered what he might be allowed to explain. Would The Under Grounds stop him? Would Tony stop him, if he went too far? But he had to try something, because somehow Bucky was going to need to convince Steve that Bucky couldn’t follow him, not this time.

“You see a door, yeah? That one.” Bucky pointed in the direction that Steve had earlier. 

He knew where it was from watching people walk through, back when people disappearing into a wall was still disconcerting. Now that he was looking again, though, he could see the outline of the frame. Huh, that was new. Bucky looked for all the doors and saw the faintest of outlines for all of them. 

He was startled, but also incredibly pleased. He found Tony, who was looking at him until their gazes met. 

Then Tony looked away, back to the teenagers. 

“Bucky? Bucky, come on.” Steve waved his hand in front of Bucky’s face. “You’re back from the dead and you won’t even talk to me.”

“I’m trying to explain, just wait a second.” Bucky laughed, in complete opposition to the seriousness on Steve’s face.

“Am I dead too, then?” Steve’s voice was quiet. 

“No,” Bucky replied. “Like I said, this place is a rest stop. Just a forgettable location where you can recover before you continue on your journey. Sometimes people just need a break, a pause, or a cup of coffee and a quick chat to boost their spirits, you know? But that doorway? That gets you back your life.”

“And this is, what, just a chance to talk to you? See you one last time?” Steve asked, voice tight. “And when I leave, I won’t see you ever again.”

The weight of sadness pressed on Bucky. “Yeah, punk. I think that’s about right. But we got right now?” Bucky took Steve’s hand again and squeezed. “Tell me what’s happening.”

Steve held Bucky’s hand like it was a lifeline. “Come with me,” he urged. 

“I can’t. It’s not my door.” Bucky jerked his head to the far wall. “That one’s mine, Death’s Door, and I can’t walk through the others. Not possible.”

“We’ll make it possible! I’ll pull you through,” Steve insisted. 

“It won’t work,” Tony said, taking a seat in the last empty chair with his own cup of coffee. “You can try, but it doesn’t make for a very nice final moment.”

Steve eyed Tony with suspicion. “Not sure why I should trust you.” 

“Don’t, or do, whatever you want.” Tony shrugged and took a long sip from his cup. “But I am the only thing in this place that is a) letting you stay and chat and b) going to let you remember your conversation with Bucky, so you could try for a little gratitude if not outright trust.”

If anything, that just put Steve further off Tony. 

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Relax. Tony’s good, I promise.”

“You’re stuck in his coffee shop and he won’t let you go,” Steve argued.

“I don’t want to leave,” Bucky said simply. “I can’t go with you, Steve.”

“Then I’ll stay.” Steve crossed his arms and thumped back in his chair. “I’m not leaving without you.”

Bucky felt like his heart stopped. “You have to,” Bucky insisted. “You can’t stay here.” 

“You did.” Steve was as solid as a stone in his chair, as if he wouldn’t move from that very spot. 

“I died!”

Tony cleared his throat. “I can give you one day.” He took a sip of coffee as he stared at Steve over the rim of the mug. “One day is how long I can hold that door open for you, and after that I can’t help. If you choose to stay longer, the only door you’ll be able to walk through is Death’s.”

Tony said the words kindly, but Bucky felt them like a blow. 

“Steve, you can’t -” 

Steve’s jaw clenched. “I’m staying.”

Tony’s eyes glowed faintly as he stared at Steve. “Peggy is waiting for you. You’ll leave paintings unfinished. Drawings undone. Your friends will mourn.”

Steve turned away from Tony, his body curling in on himself a little. 

“Who’s Peggy?” Bucky asked in confusion. 

Steve didn’t answer, and Bucky realized there were lines on his face where there hadn’t been before when Bucky had last seen him - when had Bucky had last seen Steve? Time moved weird here, Bucky knew that much, and he gulped down the emotions rising in this throat. 

He was dead and there was no going back. He just needed to be sure that Steve didn’t follow him, not yet.

“Don’t do this,” Bucky said. “I want you to go back, live your life. _Steve_.”

“I can’t leave you.” Steve’s eyes were wet as he looked at Bucky. “I can’t. I know what I’m giving up, okay?” He shot a glare at Tony. “But Bucky, you’re here. I can’t just leave you. Not when you’re -”

“I’m not alive,” Bucky said sharply. “Don’t go thinking that.” 

“You’re here, and so am I.” Steve squared his shoulders, preparing for the fight. “Don’t ask me to walk away.”

Tony squeezed Bucky’s shoulder. “You have a day,” he said apologetically, and then left. 

Tony went back to the counter, to the patrons. Taking care of the people who came in exactly how they needed it, all under the guise of a coffee shop that will never stick in the patron’s minds.

Tony, who caught Steve in a handshake so he wouldn’t get pulled toward his door too soon, giving Bucky as much as time as possible to talk to his best friend. 

“You really like him,” Steve said softly.

Bucky’s cheeks felt hot, though he wasn’t embarrassed to admit it. He just hadn’t had to admit it much yet, and this was Steve. Steve was the one who had relationships while Bucky just had flings. 

But Tony was different. 

“Yeah, I do,” Bucky agreed softly. He cleared this throat and prepared for battle. “So, this Peggy? Tell me about her.” 

Steve shot him a look, knowing exactly what he was doing, but Bucky didn’t have time to be subtle. He would be convincing Steve to walk out that door tomorrow, though there was always shoving Steve through by force. He’d do what he needed to do. 

Steve started talking, catching Bucky up on his life, and Bucky settled in and took a sip of his tea. 

He was grateful for this one day. 

**Author's Note:**

> Subscribe to the series if you're interested in seeing more!


End file.
